1st XV match reports

London Scottish 69 Bishop's Stortford 5

Another substantial win ensured that Scottish have a points difference that would probably still secure the league title even if they were to lose one of the final two matches.

An eleven-try feast was the reward for those not tempted by the rugby televised in the bar and – judging by the vocal pitch of the support at the back of the stand - a happy event for all the parents and children attending the Family Fun Day.

The honours went to Whyte and Mackay Man of the Match Bryan Milne for his hat-trick of tries – he now has nine from his eight appearances – and Stuart Peel whose brace took him not only above Charlie Broughton as the club’s top try scorer but level top of the league on 16, an extraordinary return for a no 10.

Actually it was a bit unfair on the outside backs, Broughton, Ross Yiend and Matt Vines not getting a sniff of a chance between them, because while they ran the lines, drew their opposite numbers from the fray and supported the ball carriers, the “insides” could punch holes at will in Stortford’s young and game but outclassed defence. Time and again the decisive break or the scoring pass was made before the ball needed to go wide.

The only surprise was that, contrary to their usual pattern, Scottish racked up all their points with fully 20 minutes of playing time to go and the visitors – whose forwards rallied to the extent that when Jerry Costeloe replaced Peel for the final quarter he hardly received a pass - will feel they escaped a much bigger beating.

Milne started things off. Two breaks from Broughton took play from one end to the other and from the final ruck Peel’s step and Milne’s power opened up the line right under the posts. Jamie Whelan popped the kick over and did so again four minutes later when Jon Pettemerides flopped over – the break again coming from Peel and Milne, who slipped 10m out but found Rory Greenslade-Jones on hand to send his fellow London Welsh exile over.

The same midfield trio produced the next score with a lightening quick break from defence that left the visitors grabbing thin air. Deft handling sent Broughton on, and though he was checked, the next phase brought a five metre scrum and a try for Alex Alesbrook.

This time the kick was too far out in the face of a stiff wind, as was the next, when Jim Kelly emerged from the pile up after a catch and drive from a lineout.

A lull in the scoring was then ended by Greenslade-Jones who dashed all of 80m, using the threat of Broughton on his shoulder to enable him to run off the chasing cover and bag the score for himself.

29-0 would have been an acceptable return for the 40 minutes work, but in added time another 14 points were notched from two quickly taken tap penalties which caught the visitors cold, as Peel twice nipped through the not yet organised defence and cantered over the line to give Whelan straightforward pots.

A really big score seemed likely, particularly after Milne took barely a minute to get the scoreboard moving in the second half, collecting the ball on the right some 50m out and surprising the defence with a curving dash to the line, and then securing his hat-trick with a not dissimilar score seven minutes later.

David Watt then dropped Milne’s pass following another Broughton break, when he literally had 15 yards to go to the line and no one to beat .. but quickly made up for it. Vines, Milne and Greenslade-Jones combined thrillingly in a charge up the right hand touchline but eagle eyes spotted a foot on the line before the “try” was scored. Stortford messed up the lineout call, though, and the ball dropped invitingly for Watt, who went through a huge gap to score unopposed.

So when Peel sent Pettemerides over for his second of the day and his fourth in  two and a half games, Stortford must have feared the worst.

But to their credit, having forced their way onto the scoreboard through Adams’ try from a forward drive, they rallied and tightened. The home side surrendered possession and initiative and the game gently petered out, the home players perhaps, and if so forgivably, turning their thoughts to the match to come in two weeks time.

Paul McFarland